Arthur set Maya down gently behind the broad safety of a sturdy velvet couch near the entrance.
He looked into her eyes and told her to stay completely hidden right there until he returned.
The young girl nodded slowly, wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her small hand.
Arthur turned around slowly, his posture turning rigid with unbearable rage and resolve.
He took heavy, deliberate strides back toward the grand white marble staircase leading upstairs.
Eleanor stood at the top landing, her face pale with shock as she realized Arthur had caught the child.
She clutched her pearl necklace tightly, stepping back from the railing in obvious panicked guilt.
From the adjoining dining room, the heavy wooden doors swung open with a loud thud against the wall.
Richard Vance stepped out into the bright foyer, holding a thick leather folder of court documents.
The old man yelled out loudly, commanding Arthur to stop creating a scene in his house immediately.
Richard shouted that he had given the orders to remove anyone who did not belong on the estate deed.
Arthur stopped on the upper landing, his eyes fixed firmly on the woman standing before him.
He grabbed Eleanor by her shoulders and shoved her back away from the dangerous balcony area.
She stumbled back against the solid wall, crying out in sudden shock and embarrassment.
Arthur stared down at her with cold eyes, his voice cutting through the silent room like steel.
He told her that her cruel games for his father's trust fund were officially over today.
Eleanor whimpered, clutching her arm while refusing to look Arthur directly in his glaring eyes.
Arthur turned his focus away from her and looked straight down at his father standing below.
He shouted down to the old man that he had protected the wrong villain in this family for years.
The truth about their heartless conspiracy was finally out in the open for everyone to see clearly.